President Addresses Top Priorities: Economic & National Security
Remarks by the President to New Hampshire Air National Guard, Army National Guard, Reservists and Families
Pease Air National Guard Base
Portsmouth, New Hampshire

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. Thanks for such a warm
welcome. I'm pleased to be back in the great state of New Hampshire
again. (Applause.) And I'm honored to be with the Army and Air
National Guard, and with reservists from every branch of our military.
(Applause.) You are demonstrating that duty and public service are
alive and well in New Hampshire. You stand ready to defend your fellow
citizens, and you need to know your fellow citizens are grateful.
(Applause.)

All of you are balancing jobs and your lives and public service.
You care about your communities, and you care about your country.
Today I'm going to talk about two great priorities for our country:
We'll promote economic growth and create jobs for America, and we'll
wage the war on terror until it is won. (Applause.)

I want to thank Major General Blair for the introduction and for
putting up with my entourage. (Laughter.) I want to thank his
commander-in-chief, the Governor of the great state of New Hampshire,
for joining us today -- Governor Benson, and First Lady Denise.
(Applause.) I want to thank Major General Joseph Simeone; Brigadier
General John Weeden; Brigadier General Benton Smith; Colonel Protzmann
-- Carolyn Protzmann; Lt. Colonel Robert Monahan; and Lt. Colonel
Leroy Dunkelberger; State Command Sergeant Michael Rice; Command Chief
Master Sergeant Ronald Nadeau. And thank you all. Thank you for
coming to say hello. I'm honored that you are here. (Applause.)

This state is fortunate to have an excellent Governor; you're
fortunate to have an excellent congressional delegation, as well. I'm
proud to be here today with two fine United States Senators -- my
friend, Judd Gregg, and his wife, Kathy; and my friend, John Sununu.
Thank you, Senators, for being here. (Applause.)

These Senators are strong supporters of your mission. They
appreciate what you do. They vote for strong defense budgets, because
they know what I know -- that any time we put our troops into harm's
way, you must have the best training, the best equipment, the best
possible pay. (Applause.)

Congressman Charlie Bass and Congressman Jeb Bradley, who are with
us today, understand that, as well. Thank the Congressmen for coming
with me today. Thank you all for being here. (Applause.)

My friend, Ruth Griffin, is here from the Executive Council of New
Hampshire. Maureen Barrows is here, as well. I appreciate the local
officials who have come -- state and local officials -- to greet me and
to be here with you today.

I know that the New Hampshire Wildcat Hockey players are here.
(Applause.) I'd like to give you some advice -- but I don't know how
to ice-skate. (Laughter.)

Today when I landed, I met a lady named Kathy Rice. It's important
for me to herald the armies of the soldiers of compassion, people I
meet when I land in respective cities. It's important because it helps
our country understand our true strength is not our military might, or
the size of our wallet. The true strength of America is the hearts and
souls of fellow citizens who are willing to help people who need help.

You see, Kathy Rice supports -- provides support services to
hundreds of New Hampshire National Guard families. She helps find
baby-sitters and prepares meals and assists with paying bills; helps
families when there's a deployment. She knows people stay behind; they
worry about their loved ones. She helps fill that void with love and
compassion and care. She offers support to the New Hampshire National
Guard Family Volunteer Program. It's an important service. It's an
important part of completing the mission. She does so because she
cares about a fellow citizen.

I'm proud of Kathy. I'm proud of her heart. I want to thank her
for her service, and encourage each and every one of you to love a
neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself. America's strength
is the heart and soul of our citizens. (Applause.)

New Hampshire has had citizen-soldiers since before America was a
country. Militia and volunteers and guardsmen have served from the
Revolution to the Civil War, to World War II, to Desert Storm. Honor
and service and courage are great New Hampshire traditions, and you're
upholding those traditions. We live in an era of new threats, and the
citizens of New Hampshire are stepping forward to meet those dangers.

Citizen-soldiers have performed mid-air refueling missions for
coalition forces in Iraq. You're training members of the Afghan
National Army. You're guarding suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay,
preparing for homeland security missions. Citizen-soldiers are serving
on every front on the war on terror, and you're making your state and
your country proud. (Applause.)

Serving your country can bring sacrifice and uncertainty and
separation. Your lives can be changed in a moment, with a sudden call
to duty. I want to thank you for your willingness to heed that
important call. And I want to thank your families. I want to thank
your sons and daughters, your husbands and wives, who share in your
sacrifice, who are willing to sacrifice for our country and who stand
behind you.

You're serving at a time of testing for this nation. And we're
meeting the test of history. We're defeating the enemies of freedom.
We're confronting the challenges -- the challenge to build prosperity
for our nation. Every test of America has revealed the character of
America. And after the last two years, no one in the world -- friend
or foe -- can doubt the will and the character and the strength of the
American people. (Applause.)

When you become the President, you cannot predict all the
challenges that will come. But you do know the principles that you
bring to the office -- and they should not change with time or with
polls. I took this office to make a difference, not to mark time. I
came to this office to confront problems directly and forcefully, not
to pass them on to other Presidents and other generations.
(Applause.) The challenges we face today cannot be met with timid
actions or bitter words. Our challenges will be overcome with optimism
and resolve, and confidence in the ideals of America.

Because we believe in our free enterprise system, we can be
confident in our economy's future. Our economy has been through a
lot. When I took office, the stock market had been declining for nine
months, and our economy was headed into recession. And just as we
started to recover, the attacks of September the 11th struck another
blow to our economy. And then investor confidence was shaken by
scandals -- scandals in corporate America -- dishonest behavior we
cannot and we will not tolerate in our country. (Applause.) And then
we faced the uncertainty that preceded the battles of Afghanistan and
Iraq.

No, we've been through a lot. But we acted; we led. We acted to
overcome these challenges and acted on principle. Government doesn't
create wealth. The role of government is to create the kind of
conditions where risk-takers and entrepreneurs can invest and grow and
hire new workers. We acted to create the conditions for job growth so
people can find work. When Americans have more take-home pay, more
money in their pocket to spend, or save, or invest, the whole economy
grows, and people are more likely to find a job. So I twice led the
United States Congress to pass historic tax relief for the American
people. (Applause.)

We wanted tax relief to be broad and fair as possible -- so we
reduced taxes on everyone who pays income taxes. (Applause.) We have a
tax code that penalizes marriage. That doesn't make sense.
(Laughter.) So we reduced the marriage penalty. It costs a lot to
raise children -- we understand that in Washington, D.C. -- and it
costs a lot to pay for their education. So we increased the child
credit to $1,000 per child. (Applause.) And when we said the check
was in the mail, we meant it. (Applause.)

We recognize that it's counterproductive to discourage investment,
especially during an economic recovery. So we quadrupled the expense
deduction for small business investment, and cut tax rates on dividends
and capital gains.

It is unfair to tax the estates of people -- people leave behind
after a lifetime of saving, or building a small business, or running a
farm. When you leave this world, the IRS shouldn't follow you.
(Laughter.) So we're phasing out the federal death tax. (Applause.)

I proposed and signed these measures to help individuals and help
families -- but I did so, as well, to help small businesses. See, most
small business owners pay taxes under the individual tax rates, and
therefore, when we cut all rates, small businesses benefit. We help
mom-and-pops and start-ups and small businesses by allowing higher
expense deductions.

The reason I did so is because I understand small businesses create
most of the new jobs in America. If we're worried about job creation,
if we want there to be jobs for America, we must encourage small
businesses. See, small businesses are the first to -- usually the
first to take risk, the first to hire new people. By helping small
businesses we help the entire economy. (Applause.)

These actions are helping people across this state. We've cut
taxes on 112,000 small business owners in New Hampshire. We've reduced
the marriage penalty for 192,000 couples. We've increased the child
credit for 124,000 families. See, I know this: I know that New
Hampshire citizens can spend their money better than the people in
Washington, D.C. (Applause.)

We're following a clear and consistent economic strategy, and I'm
confident about our future. Last month this economy exceeded
expectations and added net new jobs. Inflation is low. After-tax
incomes are rising. Homeownership is at record highs, and productivity
is high and it is rising, as well. Factory orders, particularly for
high-tech equipment, have risen over the last several months. Our
strategy has set the stage for sustained growth. By reducing taxes, we
kept a promise, and we did the right thing at the right time for the
American economy. (Applause.)

We're moving forward, but we are not satisfied. We can't be
satisfied so long as we have fellow citizens who are looking for work.
I understand that here in New Hampshire, one out of every five jobs
have been lost in the manufacturing sector. That's an issue we must
deal with. We must act boldly from this point forward to create jobs
for America. So I want Congress to join me in a six-point plan to
encourage job creation.

First, we must help small businesses grow and hire by controlling
the high cost of health care. I have laid out a plan to do so. We
must confront the junk lawsuits that are harming a lot of good and
honest businesses. I have laid out a plan to do so. We must have a
sound national energy policy -- we must keep the lights on, and make
America less dependent on foreign sources of energy. (Applause.) We
must continue to cut useless government regulations that choke job
creation. We must work for a free trade policy that opens up markets
and levels the playing field for American workers and manufacturing
companies. (Applause.)

And we need to make sure the tax relief we passed doesn't disappear
in future years. And you're wondering why I would say that. Well,
because of a quirk in the legislation, the tax cuts that we passed are
scheduled to go away unless we act. See, the child credit goes away in
a couple of years. In other words, you get the thousand dollars now;
it's going down to $700 in a couple years -- unless the Congress acts.
The death penalty which is scheduled to go away comes back unless the
Congress acts.

You see, when we passed tax relief, I know most Americans did not
expect to see higher taxes come back through the back door. I also
understand for job creation, it's important to have certainty in the
tax code. People have got to be able to plan. And so if Congress is
really interested in job creation, they will make the tax cuts we
passed permanent. (Applause.)

And as we overcome our challenges to the economy, we're answering
great threats to our security. September the 11, 2001, moved our
country to grief -- and moved our country to action. We made a pledge
that day, and we have kept it: We will bring the guilty to justice; we
will take the fight to the enemy. (Applause.)

We now see our enemy clearly. The terrorists plot in secret. They
target the innocent. They defile a great religion. They hate
everything this nation stands for. These committed killers will not be
stopped by negotiations; they won't respond to reason. The terrorists
who threaten America cannot be appeased -- they must be found, they
must be fought, and they must be defeated. (Applause.)

This is a new kind of war, and we must adjust. It's a new kind of
war, and America is following a new strategy. We're not waiting for
further attacks. We're striking our enemies before they can strike us
again. We've taken unprecedented steps to protect our homeland. And
for those of you who are here who are on the front lines of homeland
protection, thank you. Thank you for what you're doing. (Applause.)

Yet wars are won on the offensive -- and our friends and America
are staying on the offensive. (Applause.) We're finding them. We're
on the hunt. We're rolling back the terrorist threats -- not on the
fringes of its influence, but at the heart of its power. We're making
good progress. We're hunting the al Qaeda terrorists wherever they
hide -- from Pakistan, to the Philippines, to the Horn of Africa, to
Iraq. Nearly two-thirds of al Qaeda's known leaders have been captured
or killed. Our resolve is firm; our resolve is clear: No matter how
long it takes, all who plot against America will face the justice of
America. (Applause.)

We have sent a message understood throughout the world: If you
harbor a terrorist, if you support a terrorist, if you feed a
terrorist, you are just as guilty as the terrorists. And the Taliban
found out what we meant. (Applause.) Thanks to our great military,
Afghanistan is no longer a safe-haven for terror, the Afghan people are
free, and the people of America are more secure from attack.
(Applause.)

And we have fought the war on terror in Iraq. The regime of Saddam
Hussein possessed and used weapons of mass destruction, sponsored
terrorist groups, and inflicted terror on its own people. Nearly every
nation recognized and denounced this threat for over a decade. Last
year, the U.N. Security Council -- in Resolution 1441 -- demanded that
Saddam Hussein disarm, prove his disarmament to the world, or face
serious consequences. The choice was up to the dictator, and he chose
poorly.

I acted because I was not about to leave the security of the
American people in the hands of a madman. I was not about to stand by
and wait and trust in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein. So
our coalition acted, in one of the swiftest and most humane military
campaigns in history. And six months ago today, the statue of the
dictator was pulled down. (Applause.)

Since the liberation of Iraq, our investigators have found evidence
of a clandestine network of biological laboratories. They found
advanced design work on prohibited longer-range missiles. They found
an elaborate campaign to hide these illegal programs. There's still
much to investigate, yet it is now undeniable that Saddam Hussein was
in clear violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441.
It is undeniable that Saddam Hussein was a deceiver and a danger. The
Security Council was right to demand that Saddam Hussein disarm, and we
were right to enforce that demand. (Applause.)

Who can possibly think that the world would be better off with
Saddam Hussein still in power? Surely not the dissidents who would be
in his prisons or end up in mass graves. Surely not the men and women
who would fill Saddam's torture chambers, or the women in his rape
rooms. Surely not the victims he murdered with poison gas. Surely not
anyone who cares about human rights and democracy and stability in the
Middle East. There is only one decent and humane reaction to the fall
of Saddam Hussein: Good riddance. (Applause.)

Now our country is approaching a choice. After all the action we
have taken, after all the progress we have made against terror, there
is a temptation to think the danger has passed. The danger hadn't
passed. Since September the 11th, the terrorists have taken lives --
since the attacks on our nation that fateful day, the terrorists have
attacked in Casablanca, Mombasa, Jerusalem, Amman, Riyadh, Baghdad,
Karachi, New Delhi, Bali, and Jakarta. The terrorists continue to plot
and plan against our country and our people. America must not forget
the lessons of September 11th. (Applause.)

America cannot retreat from our responsibilities and hope for the
best. Our security will not be gained by timid measures. Our security
requires constant vigilance and decisive action. I believe America has
only one option: We must fight this war until the work is done.
(Applause.)

We're fighting on many fronts, and Iraq is now the central front.
Saddam holdouts and foreign terrorists are trying desperately to
undermine Iraq's progress and to throw that country into chaos. The
terrorists in Iraq believe their attacks on innocent people will weaken
our resolve. That's what they believe. They believe that America will
run from a challenge. They're mistaken. Americans are not the running
kind.

The United States did not run from Germany and Japan following
World War II. We helped those nations to become strong and decent,
democratic societies that no longer waged war on America. And that's
our mission in Iraq today. We're rebuilding schools. A lot of kids
are going back to schools. Reopening hospitals. Thousands of children
are now being immunized. Water and electricity are being returned to
the Iraqi people. Life is getting better.

It's a lot better than you probably think. Just ask people who
have been there. They're stunned when they come back -- when they go
to Iraq and the stories they tell are much different from the
perceptions that you're being told life is like. You see, we're
providing this help not only because we've got good hearts, but because
our vision is clear. A stable and democratic and hopeful Iraq will no
longer be a breeding ground for terror, tyranny, and aggression.
(Applause.) Free nations are peaceful nations. Our work in Iraq is
essential to our own security -- and no band of murderers or gangsters
will stop that work, or shake the will of America. (Applause.)

Nearly every day in Iraq we're launching swift, precision raids
against the enemies of peace and progress. Helped by intelligence from
Iraqis, we're rounding up the enemy. We're taking their weapons.
We're working our way through the famous deck of cards. We've already
captured or killed 43 of the 55 most wanted former Iraqi leaders, and
the other 12 have a lot to worry about. (Laughter.) Anyone who seeks
to harm our soldiers can know that our soldiers are hunting for them.

Our military is serving with great courage -- some of our best have
fallen. We mourn every loss. We honor every name. We grieve with
every family. And we will always be grateful that liberty has found
such brave defenders. (Applause.)

In defending liberty, we are joined by more than 30 nations now
contributing military forces in Iraq. Great Britain and Poland are
leading two multinational divisions. And in this cause with fine
allies, we've got the Iraqis, as well. They care about the security of
their country. They want to be free. They love freedom just like we
love freedom. Last week, the first battalion of the New Iraqi Army
completed its training. Within a year, Iraq will have a 40,000-member
military force. Tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens are also guarding
their own borders, defending vital facilities, and policing their own
streets. Six months ago, the Iraqi people welcomed their liberation.
Today, many Iraqis are armed and trained to defend their liberty.

Our goal in Iraq is to leave behind a stable, self-governing
society, which will no longer be a threat to the Middle East or to the
United States. We're following an orderly plan to reach this goal.
Iraq now has a Governing Council, which has appointed interim
government ministers. Once a constitution has been written, Iraq will
move toward national elections. We want this process to go as quickly
as possible -- yet it must be done right. The free institutions of
Iraq must stand the test of time. And a democratic Iraq will stand as
an example to all the Middle East. We believe -- and the Iraqi people
will show -- that liberty is the hope and the right of every land.

Our work in Iraq has been long, it's hard, and it's not finished.
We will stay the course. We will complete our job. And beyond Iraq,
the war on terror continues. There will be no quick victory in this
war. We will persevere and victory is certain. (Applause.)

I am confident of victory because I know the character of our
military -- shown in people like Master Sergeant Jake Negrotti, of
Plaistow, New Hampshire. Jake is a member of the New Hampshire Air
National Guard. He's volunteered for overseas deployments three times
since September the 11th. He served in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and
Iraq. Right now Jake is an airport manager at Baghdad Airport, helping
make sure our military and humanitarian operations move ahead.

People like Jake Negrotti are showing what it means to be a patriot
and a citizen. We're honored to have Jake's wife, Donna, and his
children, Alicia and Christopher, with us here today. Next time you
talk to Jake, Donna, you tell him his President appreciates his
service, and his country is grateful. (Applause.)

The war on terror has brought hardship and loss to our country,
beginning with the grief of September the 11th. Let us also remember
that the first victory in this war came on that same day, on a hijacked
plane bound for the Nation's Capital. Those men and women on Flight 93
took action, served their country, knowing they would die.
(Applause.) They found incredible courage in their final moments to
save the lives of others. In those moments, and many times since,
terrorists have learned that Americans are courageous and will not be
intimidated. We will fight them with everything we have.

Few are called to show the kind of valor seen on Flight 93, or on
the field of battle. Yet all of us do share a calling -- to be strong
in adversity, and to be unafraid in danger. We Americans have come
through so much together, and we have much yet to do. If we're
patient, united, determined, our nation will prosper, and our nation
will win.

May God bless you all. (Applause.) Thank you all very much.
(Applause.)